Whitney Houston's Death Denied

Sept. 13

Whitney Houston's rep issued a shocked denial today to counter reports that the singer/actress has died.

In an interview with ABCNEWS.com, her publicist, Nancy Seltzer, said, "I've just spoken to Whitney. She is perfectly fine and does not understand why, with everything going on in the world right now, they have to find new rumors to dig up. She is home in New Jersey with her family."
Seltzer said people were calling the singer at home and sobbing, after apparently having heard reports of her death over the radio.

Fans and the media have speculated about Houston's health after her performance at Friday's Michael Jackson tribute concert at Madison Square Garden, where she appeared shockingly thin, even skeletal. The singer then bowed out of the second night of the concert without explanation, prompting heightened speculation about her health.
Houston has long been rumored to have drug problems, and in Tuesday's edition of the New York Daily News — which was evidently published before horrific terrorist attacks brought the city to a standstill — Seltzer denied fresh reports that her celebrity client was on drugs.

"Whitney has been under stress due to family matters, and when she is under stress, she doesn't eat," Seltzer told the New York paper at the time.
Buck Wolf contributed to this report